Soldier Child

Since 1990, the people of Northern Uganda have watched in horror as tens of thousands of children have been kidnapped from their homes, marched to Sudan, and then trained as child soldiers in a rebel army.

Acholi rebel-leader and religious fanatic Joseph Kony abducts Acholi children indiscriminately, brainwashes them, and then forces them to commit indescribable atrocities against their own families and friends.

Filmmaker Neil Abramson chronicles the plight of children in war-torn northern Uganda in this compelling documentary. Chronicling the savagery and horror that thousands of children endure as they are forced from their homes to serve in the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Soldier Child weaves a gripping tale of torture, rape, starvation, and brainwashing.

Through black and white photos and on-camera interviews, the events at GUSCO - the rehabilitation facility for those fortunate enough to have escaped their captors - come to life. You'll see selected stories of the victims of brutality, including poignant footage of a young boy whose feet are so infected from marching in the army that he can no longer walk and a teen-aged girl who has given birth as the result of being raped by LRA soldiers.

32 Comments / User Reviews

Kidnaping=The draft. Taking children and fathers to train for the war=
US Army, USMC. Brainwashing them= Basic training and AIT. And what country does not have rape and brutality.
We have told Jesus to keep his nose out of our lives. Guess what? He has. He will come back if we pray for forgiveness and ask Hi to. try it you will like it..

I often take the perspective that DNA is a virus, I think I'm wrong in the actual use of language one the other hand a race is never going to negatively identify with something of a negative connotation; not exactly survival of the fittest logic there.

I think it would be wrong to look at the mistakes of humanity as wrong, bad or incorrect; its not very constructive. And also the decisions made by people are made in the knowledge that it will benefit that individual at that point in time and thus aid in survival, this is true to every decision made.

In my opinion we do have an issue with media and I'd say that a vast majority of our population struggles to think critically, due to the oppressive nature of political and capital interest.

Why are people mad. Its not any of us are directly involved in helping them. If anything these wars are a result of our selfish life styles. People leave comments like "Those people are terrible and should pay for what they have done" not realizing they used a computer made with conflict minerals to watch the film and post their opinion. We fund this behavior in some shape or form whether you realize it or not. Most people do realize it just choose not to include this in everyday life (its bad for the big business).
Religion has held us back for a long time and has its horrors (rape, murder, molestation, war,genocide,slavery, etc), but is not the source. Its simply human nature. How do i know its human nature? Because people are out there doing it . I know most of couldn't picture ourselves killing or raping anyone but as you can see their is a lot of people out their that would or could be forced to ( weak minded selfish adults who would do anything to live another day instead of dying with dignity).
If it came down to you going home to your family or a complete stranger going home to his family, i cant see very many people committing a selfless act for a stranger and some people would even help commit crime or even go as far as to murder innocent people in order to avoid being killed themselves. These kids have done unspeakable things but we forgive them cause they were threatened with death. What about the people who recruited and trained them. Maybe someone threatened them or their families with death as well. Should you not forgive them? A lot of people want to kick Joseph Kony's dead body right in the mouth ( We want him dead... or alive, so we can kill him). Does that justify him being an a--hole forcing everyone to rape an kill so he isn't captured? I don't think so.
My main point is that we go through enormous lengths to maintain our luxuries (big houses, cars, i pads, etc. We live as if their is no tomorrow but are outraged when we see signs of a world with no tomorrow.
Its only human to be angry when you see these things but don't fool yourself into believing that you will still be thinking about these kids an hour after watching the film. For the majority of us its back to our own world (family, friends, job, relationships, pets, entertainment exercise, bills), AT the very least you might find another film about hell on earth and say to yourself " I'm gonna help those kids. Do not be fooled into thinking its only Afghanistan, china, vietnam, or chechnya, that have suffering children. Even the Great USA and europe have suffering children. Its not that we cant help them all its that whether we realize it or not we choose not to help them. Don't feel bad, Its just not in our nature to sacrifice for others.

well said indeed general. i would also point out that it is very easy to say "i would never(insert atrocity of your choice here)!" while sitting in comfort and relative safety. yet march in the boots of the soviet soldier who survived stalingrad, while he invades germany. it seems so easy to demonize kony, yet do any of you demonize his child soldier? well, look at the state of uganda during amin's rule. kony's tribe, and any other that wasnt idi's suffered unthinkable atrocity at the hands of his army. i remember vividly the photos of lake victoria filled with the dead of his carnage and terror. some 10% of the population of the country was exterminated. that is what kony grew up with, that is what kony was a young adult in. life experience dictates "morality" of the individual. you cant judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.

Matt van den Ham
- 06/29/2012 at 22:50

"Those people are terrible and should pay for what they have done" not realizing they used a computer made with conflict minerals to watch the film and post their opinion."

These are two separate subjects. And you shouldn't make an argument that includes yourself as the 'guilty party' in the process. It seems that North Americans have this guilt-complex about having certain 'luxuries' or technological advancements etc....There's all kinds of unfair expolitations happening all over the world, including the super rich countries. If you're going to point the finger, don't blame one particular country or group, it's a global effort to remain corrupt. We must shift attitudes in business and fair play.

"What about the people who recruited and trained them. Maybe someone threatened them or their families with death as well. Should you not forgive them?"

Yes I know what you're saying, but you are presuming that these soldiers are just as innocent as the children, which we don't know--they could have volunteered for the position for all we know. Anyway, your point is misconstrued, it doesn't prove anything.

Gen. Grant
- 06/30/2012 at 07:13

You seem to have missed the part where i said I do not pretend to care. I don't. Most people only act like they care because they have children and ask themselves "What if that were my child?". I don't have any children and am at peace with what is happening to our planet.( Maybe we are here to restart thing by destroying , who knows)
I"m not pointing the finger at any nation, I clearly said it is human nature to survive at whatever the cost. I'm not trying to prove anything. Just adding my two cents.
Dividing the population doesn't solve the problem either. That only pits people against each other ( If we didn't buy the conflict mineral, they wouldn't need to mine it therefore not funding terrorism yet these people would be left with no source of income). This only leaves us vulnerable to be manipulated by politics.
The point you missed is that if someone told you you must give up your 50in. state of the art television set in exchange for world peace or the end of world hunger, you would probably would have to think about it (most folks would say "**** the end, I'm living my life to the fullest") . If they the world powers declared eating meat would be banned for a even a few years to preserve our world. People wold be outraged rather than to preserve our world to our children and our children's children.
We are not the perfect specimen we are taught we are. We hate, we kill, we rape, we steal.
We are a cancer to the planet. I don"t assume this. It is true. We take more than we put back. If cancer gave more than it took it wouldn't be a disease.

Neverborn
- 06/27/2012 at 13:13

I feel absolutley dwarfed by what these kids have had to go through. My own issues are so insignificant

Once the children have been Baptized in fire they can never go back to childhood. Not anymore then any adult could. If you are forced to kill your family. Then told you must join a war,fight and kill or be killed yourself you will do as you are told. The only solution to stop the men who recruit children before they have the chance,We have already lost so many I can think of very few causes that are this important. We protect animals,we protect land,we protect environment,we even protect resources. Why then do we choose not to protect our future. And generations that will be adults all to soon. In my heart I believe I would give my life up gladly to stop what is happening to these children. Children and animals are innocent and have not yet developed the prejudice that make us all hurt so badly. So we need to do our best to make a whole generation of people without our mind sets

I think that talking to them and listening and showing them kindness is doing something to help. Are you suggesting that no one do anything until enough educated counselors decide to get together and help these kids. Anything is better then nothing even uneducated people can give love and listen its part of being human. We cant just Text this out

GC
- 06/20/2012 at 04:55

harry are you a complete m*ron? I mean really, you ask how taking children and forcing them to kill with guns, knifes and matchettes is different than military school? Well let's see. military school doesn't just train youngsters for careers in the military, it also trains them to be honest, upstanding and have respect for their parents and elders. Lord trains his kids to murder and rape......gee.... I guess...maybe there is a LITTLE difference.

spoken like either a military school graduate, or the parent of one of the poor minds handed over to become one, or perhaps even both (my bet). training a child's mind to become a weapon is somehow less abhorrent if you wait until he is 18 before you sic him on your perceived "enemy"? if the weapon he uses is a drone rather than a machete? if he writes postcards that say "luv ya mom" after he ambushes(premeditatedly murders) the cat in the wrong colored clothes? perhaps you should save that ad hominem attack for when you peer into the mirror GC, because there is NO difference. either way, it is indoctrination. either way, it is weaponizing the mind of a child. either way, it is the planting of the idea that there is some moral high ground to be attained by commiting wholesale murder to gain a political end.

harry nutzack
- 06/20/2012 at 02:31

here in the US, we have "military schools", available to kids 6 years old and up. they indoctrinate the youth into future "military careers", and the wonderful world of "military discipline".... how is that ANY different? the popular paintings of our early wars show "drummer boys" leading the troops into battle... how is that ANY different? our 2 world wars brought us myriad tales of underage volunteers accepted with a wink and a nod by recruiters... how is that ANY different? anybody here remember "the green berets"? the vietnamese orphan hamchuk carried peterson's gear in exchange for food and "protection" from the VC... how is that ANY different? grow up, people, this goes on EVERYWHERE, and has as long as "civilization" has existed. after you storm VMI and liberate those kids, then talk to me about the "evils" of joseph kony. until then, perhaps an examination of the "evils" of your own culture might be an illuminating experience

very true. his wife claimed it was the result of exhaustion and being off his psych meds, though for the sake of clarity, he wasnt masturbating, he was attempting to rape a car, lol.

Irishkev
- 06/20/2012 at 12:15

Oh shite , poor fecker , imagine trying to explain that .

harry nutzack
- 06/20/2012 at 14:33

"non compos mendis"= no explanation required, the ultimate dodge of responsibility. one might also make note that such an incident, and explanation allows for incredibly "plausible deniability" if he ever decides to "out" a disinformation and propaganda campaign as the impetus for this "movement" (assuming such a conspiracy was to exist, of course). "he's nuts, why would you listen to him?" is about as ironclad a rebuttal as can be found.

Barzee
- 06/19/2012 at 15:41

I'd have to disagree witht he statement he made, "a safehaven, where the children are allowed to be children again" safehaven, yes, but i dont think those kids would be able to "be kids" anymore after their exposure to such terrible things.

Still, tis sad as hell. Reminds me of the Slipknot song "people = shyt" Hopefully someday soon, we can look back on things like this as distant memories of a time long gone and ya, call me a dreamer I suppose.

Check out youtube, even the people of Uganda are like "wtf mate?" they claim the LRA and the militant groups left the area almost a decade ago. I'm assuming this is more "oil" getting propaganda from the CIA.

Yeah then what happens to the families of the victims you create? Their broken families; they will grow to hate you just the same, eventually targeting you, and your families... ad nauseam.

The cycle can be broken.
Absolute democracy, honest democracy, true democracy.
Affordable communication, is leading the way for these things.
All in good time <10 generations.

P.S. Interesting attempt at trying to defend further violence. Heres a tip when wondering if/when you can moraly strike (under the pretense of "good"). -Violence is only acceptable (in the good), in the instance of self defence, and or in the instance of defence for someone that is not capable. NOT for justice, or revenge.

Be interesting to see how the comments here differ from the Kony 2012 doc. Will this be considered more credible? Couldn't watch for long, seeing kids suffer just doesn't sit well with me. Also that I can't help thinking 'at least it's not my kids' and that thought makes me sick. I then have to think that the only thing stopping me from caring/helping is distance. Out of sight, out of mind. I guess that is the value of films like this.

I hear ya. I raised 4 kids, to watch something like this makes my blood literally boil. Id hang the sub human garbage by the gonads with razor wire for twine. Good people are quite capable of doing things like that for payback when it involves harming children. Violence begets more violence, but in this case, I would gladly make an exception for the people responsible.

It's referred to as "Mind Control" aka BRAINWASHING.....I READ THE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE THE "THREASURE" WAS SUNK USING psyhcotronic weaponry" from Russia! Of course, you'll never read that in the Main Stream Media, which is run AND controlled-by the Pentagon! TPTB are losing their grip on the masses, and that's what the "GEORGIA GUIDSTONES" are all about.

harry nutzack
- 06/20/2012 at 02:16

the thresher (named after the breed of shark) sank due to torpedo fuel exploding in the forward torpedo room. it breeched the hull, and the flooding caused it to descend below crush depth. "psychotronic weaponry" is horsecrap disinfo spread to keep the masses ignorant. it also keeps the cottage industry of "conspiracy profiteers" in booze and bread. the proof? the fact that ALL the american subs didnt just sink on manuevers at the time, and the minor factoid of the ussr collapsing 30 years hence. if such an ability truly existed at the time, how can you explain such events as the soviets losing their afghani war? our nukes not either spontaneously exploding in their silos, or just burning in them? our (at the time) first line of defense bombers not just dropping out of the skies like hailstones? the success rate of the american "airwar" in vietnam? the success of our space program?it doesnt pass the "sniff test" of reality.